Gabriel Jesus’ story about Neymar at the Olympics will completely change your opinion of him

The Brazilian star said Neymar took every player under his wing and treated them as 'brothers' during the 2016 Olympics

By Andrew Butler

18th December 2017,4:42 pm

It’s fair to say Neymar isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Too flashy for some, too arrogant for others, the Brazilian’s transition into the world’s most expensive player hasn’t won him a great number of fans across the footballing spectrum.

But what we sometimes forget is the human side of the Paris Saint-Germain star, but if you’re in his good books (look away Edinson Cavani), you could be in line to flourish alongside the Brazilian forward.

One such beneficiary is Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus, who has written a Players’ Tribune column about his career, but notably includes one story about Neymar, and specifically his role at the 2016 Olympics.

Jesus takes up the story: “That 2016 tournament was so special for Brazilians, because the Olympic gold was the only trophy that the Country of Football had never won before.

“I remember the weight of the tournament was so heavy — not just because it was in Rio, but because of what had happened at the last World Cup.

“The way that he treats everybody surprised me a lot — because even in the short amount of time that I’ve lived in football, I’ve seen so many guys who are not even amazing players, who haven’t won anything, being mascarado.

“This means a person who wears a mask. They’re one way to the public, and another in the dressing room. But with Neymar, he treated everybody like his brother. He was a huge reason that we were able to come together and ignore the pressure and play for one another.”

Neymar scored the winning penalty for Brazil in their home games at the Rio Olympics, beating Germany in the final of the tournament before breaking down in tears on the pitch.

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